Uckermark Line

50Hertz is planning an EHV line from the Prenzlau region to Neuenhagen bei Berlin. With this project, 50Hertz factors in the growing segment of renewables in Brandenburg.

The Uckermark line will be 115 kilometres long and will connect the Bertikow substation near Prenzlau to Neuenhagen in northern Berlin. In accordance with the principle of route bundling, most of the planned trajectory runs parallel to other infrastructure routes, such as a railway section and along existing 110 kV and 220 kV lines over a distance of 100 kilometres. The 380 kV line will supply Berlin with electricity generated by biomass and wind power stations in Brandenburg. This mainly reinforces the infrastructure for the Uckermark-Barnim energy region. Regional companies will also benefit from the construction of the Uckermark line by taking part in individual operations. In total, 50Hertz will invest 130 million € in the project of the 115-kilometre 380 kV overhead line.

The planning of the Uckermark line goes back to 2005. It was already part of the "dena 1" grid study and the Trans-European Energy Network Interconnection Programme of 2006/2007. The national importance of the Uckermark line was laid down in the German Bundestag's Energy Line Extension Act (EnLAG) in 2009. With the 2011 energy transition and the instrumental development of renewable energies, its significance for the security of supply in Germany has again increased. The planning approval procedure still needs to be concluded.

A part of the Uckermark line between Vierraden in Germany and Krajnik in Poland (inkl. the phase shifter) was defined by the European Union as a project of common interest (PCI). Therefore this project is particularly significant for improving the supply security and grid expansion on the European level.

News

02.10.2014

50Hertz temporarily stops construction work on Uckermark line

Berlin - 50Herts temporarily ceases work on the Uckermark line in anticipation of the decision to be made in the urgent summary proceeding to determine the legality of the planning approval decision. "It is in our best interest if the proceedings can be concluded in the earliest terms and will do our part to ensure this. On the other hand, we do not want to start construction a...

Dr. Dirk Manthey

All information on the line Project

Pressing need for Uckermark line laid down in EnLAG

The existing 220 kV overhead line between Bertikow and Neuenhagen was commissioned in 1958. Photo: 50Hertz

As early as 2005, the "dena 1" grid study confirmed the need for a German grid expansion with 850 kilometres of new lines. These need to be realised by 2015, but so far, progess has been halting at best. In 2009, the Bundestag therefore passed the Energy Line Extension Act (EnLAG). This act stipulates the urgent need for 24 projects in the 380 kV grid, including the Uckermark line.

Brandenburg is one of the leading regions in Germany for the generation of renewable energy, mainly wind power. In 2009, it already boasted an installed wind power capacity of 4,155 MW. The added value of renewable energy in Brandenburg amounted to 600 million € in 2010. By 2030, it should already have reached 1.2 billion €. As a result, the number of people employed in the renewable energy industry will increase from just short of 12,000 in 2010 to over 19,000 by 2030.

Planned route between Bertikow and Neuenhagen

The Uckermark line will connect three substations. From Bertikow near Prenzlau in the North, the line then runs in south-easterly direction to Schwedt, where it curves away south-west to Angermünde. There, it will run along the existing 110 kV line through the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve. From Golzow on, the route then heads south over Eberswalde and Bernau to the substation in Neuenhagen.

Over its total length of 115 kilometres, the route runs parallel to 102 kilometres of existing overhead lines. The route follows a railway section over a distance of five kilometres. As such, it strongly adheres to the principle of constructing new infrastructures along bundled routes and in already developed areas whenever possible.The procedure discussed many different routing options, all of which, however, have their own shortcomings. For instance, the other options affected valuable preserves over longer distances or laid claim to more currently undeveloped land in comparison to the route determined in the spatial planning procedure, which is now being carried out in the scope the detailed planning approval procedure.

Line route

Modification of Line route since 2007

The planning approval procedure is still ongoing. Its conclusion is expected in the course of 2013. For a smaller plan adjustment in the Eberswalde area as well as for smaller modifications to the line route of the planned FGL 304 gas pipeline - a follow-up measure of the Uckermark line - additional participation procedures are currently being performed. Furthermore, additional research on species protection and on the affected bird reserves was carried out in 2011 and 2012. These studies are now being assessed with the cooperation of the competent nature conservation authorities and nature conservation organisations.

At the scoping deadline (i.e. the agreement on the scope of the assessment) of January 2008, preparations were made for the planning approval procedure at the State Office for Mining, Geology and Raw Materials in Cottbus. In the same year, nature conservation studies were performed. One such study investigated whether bird, bat and amphibian populations would be affected by the construction project. The forest vegetation was also studied. In 2009, these studies were followed by the second environmental impact assessment, the accompanying landscape conservation plan and the FFH (Flora Fauna Habitat) compatibility study as well as the sound level analysis report on possible noise pollution. In June 2009, all documents were submitted for the planning approval procedure, which started in June 2010. In the course of August/September 2010, all these documents were available for consultation in the municipalities concerned.

In order to find a suitable corridor for the Uckermark line, a regional planning procedure preceded the plan approval procedure. This began with a project conference in 2006 at which the authorities and the public received information on the route options and the drawbacks were discussed. The first surveys were also carried out in this period, to test whether the line route can avoid unnecessary electric and magnetic fields. In late 2007, the spatial planning procedure was concluded with the regional development assessment by the Joint Berlin-Brandenburg Planning Department.

The link refers to the website of the authority responsible for the procedure, Landesamt für Bergbau, Geologie und Rohstoffe (the State Agency for Mining, Geology and Natural Resources; LBGR). The documents will be placed in the section of 'approval procedures' under 'plan approval procedures'.

The public display begins on 16 July 2018 and ends on 15 August 2018. Written comments on the documents can be sent to the LBGR up to and including 17 September 2018.

Information and Materials

Detailed information on the course of the project and other materials are available on the following page.